Sheffield United boss answers James McAtee, Tommy Doyle transfer question ahead of Man City clash

Sheffield United’s hopes of signing James McAtee or Tommy Doyle before next week’s transfer deadline have been brought into focus again ahead of Sunday’s meeting against their parent club. The Manchester City pair played key roles last season to help the Blades win promotion, sealing their place in Bramall Lane folklore.

United coaching staff retain a desire to work with both youngsters again in the future, although Premier League rules dictate that the Blades can only sign one player on loan from any fellow Premier League club at one time - ruling out another double loan deal. McAtee has been in and around Pep Guardiola’s squad in the early part of this season but Doyle has not featured at all since his time at Bramall Lane came to an end.

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United’s decision to focus on talent at the top end of the pitch would naturally suggest a preference for re-signing McAtee out of the pair, but Heckingbottom has been in contact with Doyle’s representatives all summer. Celtic are also thought to be keen on the midfielder, while Wolves has also been mooted as a potential destination.

“No, he’s not (playing) and he’s got one or two options,” Heckingbottom said of Doyle. “We know. I’ve been in touch with his representatives a lot and he has one or two options, so I’m not going to say yes or no.”

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McAtee is expected to return to Bramall Lane with City on Sunday, but has been knocked down the pecking order further by the arrival of £55m winger Jérémy Doku from Rennes. “I’m looking forward to seeing him,” said Heckingbottom. “We saw Morgan [Gibbs-White] last week and had a good catch up before the Forest game. It’s always nice to catch up with lads who you have worked with.

“Both Macca and Tommy came and made this place their home and everyone took to them, whether that’s staff, the players, the fans. They were a credit to Manchester City and their families. Not only good footballers, but good lads as well.”

Asked about the possibility of signing McAtee, Heckingbottom admitted: “It’s always down to the parent clubs. We can speak to as many different players as we want, we have to get the player to want to come, the representatives, sometimes the families are involved. But we have to be respectful that all these players we are speaking to, apart from Tom Davies who had left Everton, are other people’s players.

“We want good relationships with lots of clubs but certainly, we want to make sure we do things right by everyone. That’s the difficulty with bringing players in. A lot of people need to be happy to get a deal done.”